| 20 May | World Bee Day https://www.un.org/en/observances/bee-day |
| 20-26 May | Tech week https://techweek.co.nz/ |
| 22 May | International Biodiversity Day www.doc.govt.nz |
| 22 May | Talk on history & the environment wrt te Ao Māori. Puke Ariki, Taranaki 6-7:30pm |
| 26May-1Jun | Samoan language week www.mpia.govt.nz |
| 29 May | MoE webinar on understanding hijab 3:30-4:15 pm. Register here |
| 30 May | 4pm, the SLH webinar Observology for the classroom |
| 31 May | World Smoke-free Day www.worldsmokefreeday.org.nz |
| I Jun | World milk day https://worldmilkday.org/ |
| Moon | FM May 24 3Q May 31 NM Jun 7 1Q Jun 14 |
- Glow Worm Walk at Arataki Visitor centre, Auckland, Th 20 Jun, 7-9pm. Free. https://www.facebook.com/events/772456968329423
- Resource for next week’s Language Week: Classroom phrases Samoan 2024
- Parry Guildford’s team recently won an award for work on a stomach cancer gene. He & Karyn Paringatai will talk at the PN central library in George St, 7:30pm Tues 21 May. Book here.
Info
- Mātauranga Māori:
- New Puanga learning resources are here (the 6 pdfs at the bottom). Puanga Rigel, the brightest star in the constellation of Orion, is used by many iwi to mark the new year.
- Student opportunities:
- NZ Geographic photographer of the year competition. Entries close 17 Jul. $25 adults, free for those under 25, includes a free sub to the magazine for 6 months.
- Article about Massey Uni’s waka ama workshops where students use special hoe paddles that record the force & power output of their strokes then analyse the data. The MU team can travel.
- Register students for this year’s VuW chemistry quiz and titration competition by 3 Jun. NZIC Quiz and Titration Competition 2024
- Teacher Opportunities:
- Applications are now open for Science Teaching Leadership Program for term 1, 2025.
Resources
- Biology:
- An observation investigation dissecting a pig’s brain [Danielle Myburgh]
- Data Nuggets activity on eutrophication of an estuary https://datanuggets.org/2015/08/urbanization-and-estuary-eutrophication/
- Agricultural and Horticultural Science:
- Video about the production and marketing of Rockit apples. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnnF4Y-WqW0
- Home Land & Sea video clip from Māori TV about a small business using rākau in medicinal remedies and working with AgResearch.
- Earth & Space Science:
- Activity graphing planet diameters and distances from the sun
- Design and make devices to gather data about the weather https://www.teachengineering.org/activities/view/cub_weather_lesson04_activity1
- A video (with weird music) of 5 newly-discovered hydrothermal vents on the seafloor in the Pacific Ocean. Text describes the images. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlLYU25VfII
- Chemistry:
- The chemistry of tea https://www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/investigating-the-molecular-basis-of-a-nice-cup-of-tea/4018802.article
- Videos for C2.4 Molecules, bonding, s, E.
- Physics:
- A lab using dice to simulate radioactive decay https://passionatelycurioussci.weebly.com/blog/radioactive-dice-half-life-lab
- In PhET’s new Projectile Data Lab simulation students collect & analyze real-world data with variability! So they can not only investigate projectile motion, but also errors & uncertainty.
- Primary & intermediate:
- Starting a unit on earth’s resources? Do a read-along with the Lorax (Dr Suess). Then have students use a business letter template to write to the Onceler on his impact on the environment
- In this activity guide, students in grades 4-8 explore fungi – observe and learn about fungi, identify types, and discuss their role in an ecosystem.
- Nature of Science:
- The News Literacy Project has a weekly newsletter with a rundown of recent news stories and examples of misinformation. Each issue also includes prompts & tips for classroom activities.
- An article and infographic about strength of evidence https://www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz/coveringscience/types-of-scientific-evidence/
- New standards
- SCENZ have uploaded a summative assessment for CB1.2 for members
- A science book you might like to read
- The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean unlocks the mysteries of the periodic table.
Can you help?
- Priya Delana is looking for resources for a B3.1 task on Mealworms. If you are able to help please email her at pdelana@mcauleyhigh.school.nz
MoE/NZQA
- The Assessor Practice Tool (APT) is now available for L3 Bio std 91604. This tool gives assessors practice making judgements on full samples of student work after which they can view a justified moderator grade. You may also want to examine the 2024 National Moderator’s report for this std.
Professional Learning & Development (PLD) Opportunities
- STEM Digital conference: Using tech and AI to tackle workload. 22 Jun 10am-4pm GMT (10pm – 4am NZT). £120. More info here.
- Project-Based Learning Conference, for K-12 teachers in Napa Va, California, 24-27 Jun. https://www.pblworks.org/pbl-world
- NIFs Paula & Linda are offering general Q&A sessions online: Wed 22 May, Wed 5 Jun at 4-5pm and Th 30 May at 10:30-11:30am. An informal forum where teachers can bring along Qs for advice and discussion with other teachers, sharing ideas and thoughts on your courses and assessments
- Learning Network NZ, Cnr Universal/Soljan Drives, Henderson, Auckland
- Fostering Resilience – Pete Hall, 29 May. Register here
- Regional NCEA L1 PLD clusters
Technician
- Find tardigrades
- Good method https://www.scienceinschool.org/article/2023/what-lives-in-moss/ Murray Emson
- Downloadable resources https://mosssafari.com/for-teachers/ ME
- I haven’t had much luck with moss but Lichen is fantastic for Tardigrades. I had 4 on one slide from one piece of lichen soaked for a few hours in water. Natalie Davidson
Cheers, Mike
Mike’s News is brought to you with the generous support of Warp Computers